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Comment and Humans

Moral consensus: a CEO should earn five times what workers get

In many nations there is a universal desire for a narrower pay gap between executives and workers. No wonder the reality is so toxic, says Michael Norton

By Michael Norton

1 December 2016

Public protest over executive pay

Top-tier pay is stoking popular discontent

Kevork Djansezian/Getty

Among the issues fuelling political upheaval at the moment is the gap between bosses’ and workers’ pay. Leaders, including the UK’s prime minister Theresa May, are busy .

The past five years have seen a groundswell of concern in many parts of the world over the divide between rich and poor. They include the Spanish Indignados movement and Occupy Wall Street in 2011, a 2013 Swiss referendum to cap CEO pay at 12 times that of the lowest paid workers (), and ongoing protests in various…

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